Improvement in water-elevators



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL S. VILLIAMS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY J. BAILEY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-ELEVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,919, dated May 24, 1864.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. WILLIAMS, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tater-Elevators; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specitication, and to the letters ot reference marked thereon.

The nature of Iny invention consists of an improvement in that class of water-elevators wherein the buckets are lowered and raised alternately by means of a rope wound around a windlass situated above the well, and so operated as that when the ascending bucket is raised high enough it will be carried forward and tilted, so as to discharge its contents.

In all contrivances heretofore invented for tilting the buckets great difculty has'been experience in getting the bucketto right 7 at the proper time to engage the tilter and pour the water into the t1 ough.

The object of my invention is to obviate this difficulty and insure the proper working of the parts. For the accomplishing of this object I bend the tilter in the form of an obtuse angle at that part directly opposite the center of the bucket, so that the bail, when coming in contact therewith, (instead ot' sticking fast, as in other machines,) will be slewed around so as to engage the bucket in the prop` er place. I also construct the tilter in such a shape as to enter the inside of the bucket,

whereby all notches and pins heretofore in use are done away with, the bucket righted t and tilted, and secured from lateral play. I also use a ratchet and pawl, so constructed and operating as to not only prevent the as` cending bucket from running back, but to change its position automatically by the bail of said bucketjust before it reaches its highest point of elevation, and hold the next ascending bucket, and operatin g therewith substantially in the same manner. On the inside of the curb, and just back of each bucket, I place a long spring, fastened at the bottom ot' said curb, and extending upward and outward, so as to operate against the bottom of the tilting bucket to check its vibration and assist in throwing the tilter forward.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and make Iny improvement, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation by reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichy Figure l represents a perspective view of my improved water-elevator, a section of the curb being broken away, the better to show the workin g parts.

All the pieces are lettered, and similar letters denote corresponding' parts in the drawings.

I construct my water-elevator with the usual frame and curb,A, to the top of which curb is attached and rotates the windlass B, around which the rope C p Aisses,with a bucket, D, at each end, the length of said rope corresponding to the depth ofthe well, so that w hen one bucket is raised and in the act of discharging its contents the other will be filling at the bottom of the well. The bail F of each bucket extends down to near its middle, and is pivoted thereto, sufficient weight being beneath the bail to keep the bucket right end up.

The tilter N is an iron rod extending across the curb in front ot' the buckets, having two arms, s s, bent at right angles to the rod and pivoted to the trough M, (or they maybe attached to the frame of the curb,) and on a line with the said trough, into which the water is to be discharged. As either bucket is raised to the top ofthe well,it is slewed around by the angular bend t of the rod acting against the ineline of the bail, which brings the bucket into position to be engaged by the tilter, which has another bend,P,t'or that purpose. This bend is at right angles to line ofthe rod, and of sut'- ticcnt depth to enter the bucket and extend across its mouth, where it forms another shoulder, which holds the bucket like a hook, and as the bucket is elevated carries it forward and tilts it, and at the same time prevents all swinging or lateral play, the spring It at the back of the curb assisting to carry it forward and prevent the bucket from slipping back so as to disengage itself from the tilter.

On aline with the axis of the windlass B, and a short distance below it, is placeda rockshaft, H, to which is secured a pawl, n, which catches in the notches r r o' on the face of the pulley K. -For the purpose operating this rockshaft and pawl by theaction of the ascending bucket, a roller, m, is swung directly bcneath it, which, as the bucket ascends, is pushed to one side, which changes the position of the pawl with relation to the bucket so ascending. For the purpose ofindicating the position of the pawl (and if required to operate it by hand) is a short lever, E, on the outside of the curb, attached to the rockshaft, and acts as an indicator to the person engaged in raising water.

The operation of the apparatus just described is as follows As a bucket 'is raised to the top of the well, it is kept from swinging backward bythe spring It. When the top of the bail touches the tilter N, the incline or angle t slews the bucket around, so that the short horizontal part of the tilter may enter the mouth of the bucket, and as the bucket still rises, by turning the windlass a little farther the upper part of the bucket is prevented from going up by reason of the tilter passing a short distance therein. The bail being pivoted near the middle of the bucket, it begins to tilt over, and immediately, by the eight of the bucket being thrown against the tilter, it yields, allowing it to press forward toward the trough, the bucket turning as on a center, and prevents any sudden tilting, andkeeps the waterfroln passing out with a splash.

The action of the trip is due to the peculiar arrangement of the parts, the turning points of the tilter being on a line at which the water is discharged, and on a level with the mouth of the bucket when it iirst comes in contact with it, so that when tilting the bucket the tilter is pressed upward and forward in the arc of a circle as to carry the bucket over the trough and there discharge its contents. The

pawl n, catching in the notches rr r in the K, keeps the ascending bucket from running back into the well until raised to its highest point of elevation, when, as it approaches this point, the incline of the bail F acts against the roller m on the rock-shaft H, forcing it to one side and changing the position of the pawl, throwing it over to the other side of the pulley, so as to hold the next ascending bucket, the short lever E pointing always in the direction ofthe empty bucket, enabling the iperator to tell which way to turn the windass.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new isl. Forming the tilting rod N with an obtuse yan gle,t, at that part directly opposite the center ofthe bucket, for the purpose of slewing the bucket around, as herein set forth.

2. Bending the tilting rod in such amanner as to engage the bucket on the inside, so as to not only hold the bucket in a line with the trough, but prevent lateral play, as hereinbefore stated.

3. theselfacting brake or pawl operated by the bail of the ascending bucket, when constructed so as to change from one side ot the ratchet on the pulley to the other, substa ntially in the manner and for purposes herein set forth.

4. the curved spring R at the rear of the curb, for the purpose of forcing the bucket toward the tilting rod, and also as a guide to steady thc bucket when in the act of tilting.

' S. S. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses Josntrr W. ELLs, R. A. GAMERoN. 

